A Miraculous Tale: Hawk Moth

Ch. 15

Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Master Fu stood in front of Emilie's coffin. Ladybug was horrified that Hawk Moth had kept her stashed away in a secret room all these years. Even though she knew Emilie was in a coma, she still had the alarming sense that Hawk Moth was a necrophiliac. She shuddered.

"I remember her." Master Fu whispered.

Ladybug's eyes widened. "You've met Emilie before?"

"She was the girl I gave the peacock miraculous to. It was the first time I had put the miraculouses into motion since I went into hiding. I was so sure, but I failed."

"Wait." Rena Rouge thought aloud. "Does that mean you gave Hawk Moth his miraculous?"

Master Fu nodded sadly. "It's all my fault."

"No, it's not." Ladybug said. "You couldn't have known what would happen. Besides, you're here to help now. That's what matters."

Master Fu nodded and turned his attention to the glass coffin. "Help me lift the lid." The three of them opened the coffin. Ladybug was prepared to smell the horrid stench of dead things, or even the sickly medical smell of hospitals. What she wasn't prepared to smell was the sweet perfume of roses.

"Huh." She wondered aloud.

Master Fu set Ladybug's lucky charm on the ground, and he placed the guardian book next to it.

"Restoring miraculous, restoring..." He muttered to himself as he flipped the pages. "Aha! This should do the trick." He stopped on a page that had an illustration of a broken miraculous and a sick kwami.

"'Have the kwami of the broken miraculous drink this potion. It will heal them and the miraculous. If someone was injured while wearing it, have them put on the miraculous and transform into the hero. Then have them transform back. A successful transformation will restore their health. This does not work beyond death.'"

"So, we need the peacock miraculous then?" Rena Rouge asked.

Master Fu nodded. "You two can retrieve the miraculous while I make the potion. Is there anyone in the house?"

"No. We made sure everyone was out before we brought you in." Ladybug reassured him.

"Good. Then a quick stop to the kitchens should help with this potion. It's a simple one."

"Okay. Rena Rouge and I will be back as soon as we can."

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It had taken them longer to get there than Ladybug would've liked. Her time had run out, and she had to duck into an ally to feed Tikki and transform back. Rena Rouge had respectfully waited for her, of course she hadn't seen anything, and then they made their way to the Eiffel Tower. Cat Noir had left a message and told her that's where they were.

Ladybug and Rena Rouge landed on a rooftop near the Eiffel Tower.

"Ready?" Ladybug asked.

"Ready." Rena Rouge took a stance. They immediately joined the battle, and the onlookers cheered as they saw them. They ignored Hawk Moth and Princess Fragrance, rather, they went straight for Mayura, who was currently fighting King Monkey.

"Nice of you to join us, Ladybug." He said as he wildly swung his staff at Mayura. Mayura ducked, and Rena Rouge took the opportunity to shove her. Mayura toppled over, but she gracefully rolled and landed on her feet. She attacked Rena Rouge, who quickly countered the blows. King Monkey joined, but Ladybug hung back, waiting for the right moment.

It happened in a flash. One minute Mayura was twirling around, the next she was caught up in the string of a yoyo.

"Ugg!" She yelled in frustration. She tried to untangle herself, but King Monkey pressed her to the ground.